


get to know me inside (winter on my body)

by taeliligoo



Category: Chinese Actor RPF, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Art Major Xiao Zhan, Bottom Wang Yi Bo/Top Xiao Zhan | Sean, Brat Tamer Xiao Zhan, Bratty Wang Yi Bo, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Masturbation, babyibo, planning their fake dates... as one does, so basically im trying to drop hints that xz is going to paint wyb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:27:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28842351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeliligoo/pseuds/taeliligoo
Summary: “What you lack in height you make up for it with your attitude.” Xiao Zhan sighs as he looks down at the younger.Yibo scoffs.They’re facing each other now, eye to eye. Tension slowly builds and takes over the room, blooming and scorching hot creating a huge juxtaposition between the inside and the outside.Arms still crossed, head tilted, the blue haired boy questions with an annoyed tone, “So do you agree or not?”Another sigh,  “Fine. I guess it can be beneficial for both of us.”OrXiao Zhan and Wang Yibo hate each other. Everyone knows that. Yet they still decide to fake that they’re dating.
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean
Comments: 94
Kudos: 238





	1. Chapter 1

Music blasting high, bass loudly booming against the speakers and the floor is almost vibrating. Yibo can feel the jolts of the instrumental against the pads of his snickers while it spreads across his body, competing with the flow of his blood - compelling him to move to each snare and drum. 

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, his moves are sharp but not quite sharp as he wants them to be. 

He closes his eyes, lets his body do the dancing for him. He can feel himself slowly setting himself free as he does, body going from rigid and too meticulous to perfectly loose yet accurate - he drinks in the praise his instructor yells from across the room. Yibo can feel his friends movements around him, they’re accurate, he hasn’t bumped into anyone yet. Smiling to himself he keeps going. 

Yibo is in another headspace right now, it’s a place where the music and his sinuous body meet every time he does this. He doesn’t feel his tired limbs nor his sore muscles when he is here, he is just in one with the tune of the song. 

Before Yibo can continue to practice for the competition, he and his dance crew members are interrupted. 

The music stops and Yibo immediately opens his eyes, the color is almost onyx and his chest is shifting hastily. He can feel the sweat dripping down his back and the uncomfortable heat between his frame and his attire. 

“Yibo?” Wenhan says, looking equally as wrecked and tired as Yibo is, “They’re asking for you.” 

“Uh, oh. Who is it?” 

The fatigued boy doesn’t reply, he just shrugs and waves - telling Yibo to go and figure it out for himself. 

Grabbing his towel, Yibo walks slowly to the door as he tries to wipe off the steam from his form. He does see a little bit of sapphire hair dye splotches against the texture of the towel and he casts it to the side where his other items were. 

He is met by an unfamiliar face.

“Uh…” Yibo doesn’t know what to say. 

Even though he’s been in this position for more than a handful of times now, he never knows how to start or what to say. Especially since most of the people who confess to him are complete strangers. Awkwardly, he waits for her to say what she has to say before he can turn her down.

“Yibo, hey. My name is Li Jun. We used to have class together, and since we have known each other for some time I was wondering if we could get close-”

“If you’re going to ask me out then I’m sorry but no.” He tries to say as politely as possible, it still comes out a bit too cold. 

“I-I… Why?” She asks, her eyes widening. “Are you seeing someone else?”

Yibo breathes in and out, “No. I’m just not interested.”

“But-”

“Sorry, I have to get back to practice!” He almost runs back to the practice room. 

He sighs in relief when she doesn’t follow him in (unfortunately that has happened once). He tries to go back to dancing but his friends are already sending him the teasing glances they always throw at him when he rejects someone. He is pretty sure Sungjoo is keeping count.

“Another one?” His dance teacher asks with a smirk on his face. 

Yibo nods but wants to roll his eyes, he is getting very tired of this. This isn’t the first time he has been interrupted while he was dancing with his friends, practicing for the competition. It’s getting quite annoying to always be cut off while he is almost perfecting a move. He wonders what he can do to make this stop.

“I swear, you and Xiao Zhan are always breaking the hearts of these girls.” One of his team members says. 

“Fuck that guy.” Yibo says under his breath which makes his friends laugh. 

“Why do you two hate each other again?” A freshman asks. 

Yibo shakes his head and rolls his eyes. He turns the volume of the music from loud to louder. 

It takes some time, but when he is back in his zone again his stress is released and his movements are as fluid and precise as the water that runs in the ocean. He dances and dances some more - forgetting about everyone and everything. 

  
  
  
  


The next day, Yibo and Seungyoun are walking down the hallway with coffee cups in each hand, complaining about the amount of work they have for the nth time of the day. Yibo is too caught up in what he is saying to watch his step. 

Before Yibo knows it, he bumps into someone. “Oh shit, sorry.” Yibo says.

He thanks heaven for not dropping his coffee though. The blue haired boy regrets ever saying sorry when he finally gets to see the face of the person. It’s no other than the most fake person that Yibo has ever met. 

“Xiao Zhan.” Yibos eyes narrow. 

“Wang Yibo.” Xiao Zhan says back. He smiles, and says “Are you okay? We wouldn’t want you falling down on top of me and completely ruining your ‘Ice Prince’ image, would we?” 

“Shut the fuck up, you ass!” The younger spits out, face just a little bit flushed, grabs an amused Seungyoun by the arm, dragging them both as far from the art major asshole as possible. 

He ignores the gossiping whispers that are spreading around him. His ears still pick up the aggravating sounds of people not minding their own business, “How come Xiao Zhan gege is nice to everyone except Wang Yibo?” and even some,“I heard they are neighbors, is it true?” “Yeah! Maybe that’s the reason why they hate one another.”

  
  
  
  


Later that day, the same thing happened to Yibo. A random person on the street, who apparently always saw Yibo walking to his college decided to muster up the courage and talk to him. 

He always thought these types of things happened in movies, that it would never happen to him but here he was. It’s not like he isn’t grateful, it’s just he isn’t interested. With an impassive expression he tries to tell his person off too. 

By the time he is inside his apartment, he is exhausted and kind of moody. He just wants to be left alone goddammit. 

While laying down in his bed, hours later, Yibo thinks of ways to escape the unwanted attention. His head is envisioning various scenarios and pictures, yet nothing is actually realistic. He wonders what would actually be enough for these people to leave him the fuck alone. 

Blinking, Yibo suddenly remembers what the girl Li Jun looked like when she thought that Yibo was dating someone else. Maybe Yibo can just tell people he is dating someone (even though he isn’t dating anyone at the moment) and use it as an excuse? But what if someone asks to see the person who is dating him? 

The cerulean color haired boy groans. 

It definitely wouldn’t work without an actual person being his partner… so what if he asked someone? 

Would someone even agree to date Yibo just to free him from the people who keep shooting their shot with him? Who? Seungyoun? Cheng Xiao? No, he is too close to the people who keep popping up in his head and he doesn’t want to ruin his precious friendships with them.

Unless it’s someone unexpected… like Xiao Zhan? 

Yibo laughs out loud. 

There is no way he would actually ask that and there is no way Xiao Zhan would actually say yes to such a ridiculous request. 

In his dreams later that night, Yibo dreams about the latest choreography he is learning and his exams that are coming up. 

  
  
  
  


It’s been a few days, winter is blooming further into the sky that surrounds Yibo and his hands and body are freezing. The snow is white and grainy, pristine and shining bright, loose and shifty around the wind. 

Yibo extends a hand and tries to catch a snowflake, when he catches one, it’s wet, icy, thin and it leaves Yibo disappointed for some reason. 

“What did the snow ever do to you?” A pestering voice says. 

The younger looks up, his frown deepening when he sees Xiao Zhan who is smiling teasingly at him. “It’s… nevermind. Why do you care? Leave me alone.”

“Aren’t you going in? Wait, did you finally get kicked out of our building?” The older man also catches a snowflake as he looks down at Yibo waiting for an answer. 

“I’m just thinking. I don’t even know why you’re here. You can go inside if you want.” Yibo huffs, not even slightly amused, crossing his arms after dropping the almost melted small flock that was forming in his hands.

A gloomy atmosphere seemed to be orbiting around the younger boy, lately Yibo has been more tired too, maybe it’s because his finals are near and the competition as well. Not to mention the constant unwanted attention he kept getting for no reason at all. Without even realising Yibo shuts his lips and pouts his lips.

After a long silence, Yibo looks up once again to see if Xiao Zhan left or not. 

The older man is staring down at Yibo. “What are you looking at? Are you going to confess to me too, old man?” 

A loud chuckle echoes and resonates in Yibos ears. “You wish!” 

Yibo blinks as he watches Xiao Zhan turn his back and walk going into their building, he can see the print of his shoes down on the snow. The thoughts of a few nights ago come back to him. What if?

“Wait!” Yibo shouts and runs after him which causes the olders’ long steps to stop. “Can we talk?” 

“About what?” Xiao Zhan asks, eyebrow unconsciously raising. 

“Uh… can we go inside for this?” 

Xiao Zhan looks a bit taken back but nods. 

The elevator ride is filled with an awkward air that couldn’t be shaken off. The standard elevator music inside someone adds to the weird mood between them. Yibo breathes in and out. Pondering whether he should ask Xiao Zhan to do it or not. He weighs the pros and cons to distract himself from this weird feeling in his stomach.

When they’re inside Yibo apartment, the older man looks around and says, “I wasn’t expecting it to be so clean here.” 

“What the fuck do you mean?” 

With a laugh, Xiao Zhan continues to look around the house. 

“So what did you want to talk about?” Xiao Zhan says as he finally sits down. 

Gulping, Yibo mimics him and sits down on the counter side. He plays with his fingers and reverts his eyes to random places around them and not to the man in front of him. Yibo clears his throat. 

“Uh… I want to ask you a favor.” 

“You,” The older points to Yibo, and then points to himself “..want to ask me a favor?” Then he raises an eyebrow. 

Yibo nods, he feels his face go red.

“Have you missed the last year and a half we’ve been cursing each other out?” Xiao Zhan asks. 

“Yes, for fucks sake. How many times do I have to say it?” 

Xiao Zhan laughs, “Calm down, little vixen. I haven’t even heard your request yet. Shoot.” 

A pause.

Yibo gulps once again. Here goes nothing. “I want people to stop coming up to me. Can you help me by… Uh- dating me? But like it’s not real or anything. Let’s just pretend that we’re dating?” 

Something flashes in Xiao Zhans eyes. Yibo doesn’t know what it means. Yibo at least expected a laugh or something like that except he is met by a stoic expression and dark eyes staring at him. 

“Let me get this straight… You want me to date you-” 

“Fake date.” Yibo corrects. 

Xiao Zhan looks at him with the same gaze from earlier. “You want me to fake date you? Like... hold hands and kiss?” He continues while looking at the younger, “What makes you think I’ll say yes?” 

Yibo rolls his eyes, stands up and crosses his arms “Just say if you’ll do it or not, Xiao Zhan. I can always ask another person to do it.”

The older one stands up too.

“What you lack in height you make up for it with your attitude.” Xiao Zhan sighs as he looks down at the younger.

Yibo scoffs.

They’re facing each other now, eye to eye. Tension slowly builds and takes over the room, blooming and scorching hot creating a huge juxtaposition between the inside and the outside.

Arms still crossed, head tilted, the blue haired boy questions with an annoyed tone, “So do you agree or not?” 

Another sigh, “Fine. I guess it can be beneficial for both of us.” 

“What? You agree?” Yibo says rather loudly which causes an amused sound to escape Xiao Zhan's mouth.

Nodding, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” 

Yibo nods back, “Great! So… when do we start?” 

“Tomorrow?” 

“Tomorrow?!” Yibo parrots rather loudly with a very vivid expression that Xiao Zhan isn’t used to. “But don’t we need to come up with a story to tell others and stuff? And besides we’re not that comfortable with each other.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Xiao Zhan says, “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” 

Wang Yibo finally cracks a smile at his words, it’s not big but it’s there and it’s quite blinding to look at. “Maybe we should practice before going public.” 

Xiao Zhan nods, “Okay I can do that.” 

“Awesome, see you tomorrow!” 

The older man raises an eyebrow but takes the clue and starts to head towards the door, Yibo follows him. 

The older stops and turns around. He starts to lean down, heading right down towards Yibos lips which causes the younger to screech out, “What are you doing?” 

“Practice. We’ll have to do this eventually.” 

“Oh.” Yibo says, he can feel Xiao Zhan breathing against his lips and his heartbeat is suddenly increasing for some reason. Yibo hates to admit it, but he is right. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Xiao Zhan asks, just to be sure. 

Yibo nods. By the time he opens his mouth to confirm it once again, Xiao Zhan's lips are already pressed lightly against his. 

Both of their lips are cold but when they collide with each other, cold turns into heat and it’s blazing hot the way their lips mold. 

It was supposed to be quick and chaste but Xiao Zhan doesn’t know what takes over him when he grabs Yibo by the waist, making the younger press closer to his own body. He deepens the kiss and it turns from shy to rough in seconds. 

Yibo pulls out of it to catch his breath and he realises Xiao Zhan is staring at him again, probably at his lips too. “What?” He asks. The older man shakes his head. “Nothing.” He lies, Yibos lips are awfully bruised and pink, he can’t stop looking. He looks absolutely ravished. 

A quick kiss is exchanged. 

“That’s enough practice for today. See you later, boyfriend.” Xiao Zhan says as he opens the door. Yibo stands there, with swollen lips and shaky breath as he watches him close the door and hears him leave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what do you guys think? let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive updated the tags in case you didn't see!

When Yibo wakes up the next day, the events of yesterday finally start sinking in. He doesn’t even have the strength to get up. He is too drowned in his own thoughts and embarrassment. How can he just ask his arch nemesis to pretend to be his lover? And how can he just let himself get kissed by him so fast? 

One day he is acting like he hates Xiao Zhan and the next he is casually kissing him? Yibo buries his face on the pillow and tries his best to understand how he let things escalate things so quickly. 

Yibo has his own reasons for disliking him. They’re not weak ones either. 

The boy is disappointed in himself, very, very disappointed.

But. He can call it off right? He can do that. He doesn’t own Xiao Zhan anything, it’s the other way around in fact. Even though it’s almost been two years, the wounds are still there and it’s not like Yibo can just get over it fast, he is sensitive to certain things and Xiao Zhan managed to find and hit those areas in the record breaking time. 

Getting up, Yibo drags his routine. He picks up his notes and starts to study, trying to distract his thoughts from forming and drowning him in the past. Mechanical Engineering is something he is very passionate about but today is just not its day.

It’s rare to have time where he can just stay home and not be busy with the pressure of getting the choreography or linear algebra right, yet he feels a heavy sensation that seems to be growing bigger and bigger - eating him and his thoughts. Why is he _doing_ this to himself? Why did he _do_ this to himself?

Yibo decides he has had enough of submerging in the liquid of his own speculation, thinking and logic. It’s driving him insane. 

So he grabs his skateboard and heads to the door.

By the time Yibo opens the door, he sees the familiar face of Xiao Zhan - who seems to be going out as well. He is wearing a lengthy beige coat, an awful looking, ugly, sweater that only he can pull off with a scarf that ties everything together. 

“Hey, boyfri- You’re not going out like that, are you?” The older man asks as he looks down once to inspect his outfit. 

Yibo does admit that it's more loose than it should be for the winter but he still scoffs at him though, who is he to tell Yibo what he should or shouldn’t wear? But he still justifies himself with, “I’m going out to skate, I’ll sweat anyway.” 

“You will catch a cold like that, though.” Xiao Zhan says as he gets closer to him, unconsciously. Yibo on the other hand notices and steps a bit back, alert.

The blue haired boy has started building up a wall between him and Xiao Zhan, that’s what he should’ve done, that’s what he should’ve done the day prior too, not ever letting him get closer to him or ever let himself get kissed. It was foolish and senseless. 

Xiao Zhan is a very perceptive person, he notices the way Yibo backs away from him and how he avoids eye contact. “Yibo?” He asks, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He backs away once again.

“Really? Then why are you acting like this… Are you having any regrets? Did I make you feel uncomfortable yesterday? Fuck- I’m sorry.” Xiao Zhan says and his eyes go wider, looking too big for his face. Genuine concern flashing through.

Wang Yibo runs a hand through his blue hair and sighs, “No, no. It’s just- I don’t think I’m comfortable enough to just go ahead and start like that. Not with what happened in the past…” 

Something else flashes through Xiao Zhans eyes, “I see.” He says in a gloomy voice. But he nods in understanding, they’ve agreed not to talk about it, so he doesn’t actually say anything regarding _that_ topic. “Look, if you’re not comfortable doing it with me then I’m fine with calling this deal off.” 

“Uh- No, it’s fine. I really want them to leave me alone as fast as possible. I guess we just need to get somewhat familiarized with each other.” 

“Okay… Let’s go inside and talk things out better?” Xiao Zhan says but it comes out as a question, waiting for Yibo to answer. The younger nods. He opens his apartment and waits for the older to enter. 

He drops his skateboard and goes straight to the living room. He sees Xiao Zhan typing on his phone. 

“You didn’t cancel your plans because of me, right?” Yibo asks. Xiao Zhans eyes travel from his phone to Yibos eyes and he looks as guilty as ever. “Uh…”

“You didn’t have to do that!” Yibo says but gets interrupted, “I just postponed them, don’t worry. We need to figure how to do this properly.” Xiao Zhan looks at Yibo once again. 

“Fine. Let’s sit and talk.” The younger says, still avoiding eye contact. 

Yibo starts to wonder how to approach this? Or how to even get comfortable around Xiao Zhan enough to be okay with fake dating him? 

Biting his lips, the blueberry haired boy looks up at Xiao Zhan after he notices the silence in the room. He can feel his eyes on his own lips. Yibo stops, licks his lips clean and tilts his head, “So…” 

A small smile appears on Xiao Zhans face, the line that it makes is enough for Yibo to notice the beauty mark underneath the mans’ lips. “Why don’t we just show up holding hands at college?” His silky voice resonates through the room but Yibos eyes travel somewhere else after he realises he’s been staring at Xiao Zhans mark for too long, his face changes though, reacting to what he says. 

“Uh… I don’t think it would make sense though.” Yibo says, pouting a bit as he thinks. “We almost beat each other up at some point.. I mean who would believe it? Our friends would not buy it either.” 

Xiao Zhan sighs but nods, “You’re right. Uh, how about we start by slowly dropping hints?” 

The younger hums, “That makes more sense.” 

Smiling, Xiao Zhan continues, “Maybe we could wear the same clothes? Like one day I wear a sweater and the next day you could wear the same one. Also, go to places where most of our classmates go.”

“Like dates and stuff?” Yibo asks while making a face. With an amused noise, Xiao Zhan nods. “Yeah, like dates and stuff.” 

“I think wearing your clothes is fine but maybe the dates can wait...” Yibo says as he plays with the ring on his hand, avoiding eye contact once more. “Maybe I can go up to you and return you a clothing item while you’re with your friends so people can see? Then it can warm up our friends to the idea of us together too.” 

Yibo looks up to see Xiao Zhans reaction. It takes a few seconds but after a while Xiao Zhan slowly nods, “Hmm, that makes sense.” 

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo asks with a soft voice, quietly. Although the younger boy spoke with such a low volume, it seemed enough to gain Xiao Zhans whole concentration. “Yeah?”

“We also need to come up with a story. Like how we started-” 

“I confessed to you and you accepted. What else are we supposed to say?” Comes the reply with a light laugh. “Xiao Zhan…” Yibo rolls his eyes, “Everyone knows we hate each other, do you really think they will actually believe that?” 

Xiao Zhan has an illegible expression on his face, he walks over to Yibos side. Sits down next to him and Yibo tries his best not to look overwhelmed, Yibo imitates his action but sits as far away from him as possible. 

The older man turns to his side to have better access to Yibos face, “Will you look at me?” 

With his ears burning, Yibo clears his throat and turns to his side too but doesn’t look into Xiao Zhans eyes. He pushes his embarrassment aside, looks at him when he feels like his face isn’t the color of a flaming red tomato and rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, “No.”

“No?” The older repeats with a laugh, “You’re so fucking annoying, Wang Yibo. I’m just trying to make things work.” 

“Look who says.” Yibo huffs in an upset manner. 

A stiff silence takes over the room. That is until Xiao Zhan breaks it carelessly while he scoots closer to Yibo. “I think I have an idea.” 

Yibo looks a bit lost when he realises he has no more room for him to back out away from Xiao Zhan, with a sigh he asks, “What is it? And why are you invading my personal space?”

With an eyebrow raise Xiao Zhan replies, “Don’t get too excited, little vixen.”

"Vixen? Do I look like-?" Yibo is about to reply when he is suddenly cut off by how the wool scarf that was around Xiao Zhans neck suddenly wrapped around his instead. "What are you doing?" He opts to say, trying his best to avoid the foreign warmth and scent of the older man that were lingering in it. 

"You're going to return this to me at campus. We're going to pretend to act awkward about it. This can go on for a week or two - we'll find random excuses to talk to each other." Xiao Zhan says with a thinking frown on his face. He also shamelessly stares at Yibo, who looks too fluffy with his own bright red scarf. “But-” The younger tries to refute but, “Yibo, this is literally your idea.”

With a hand touching the material of the fabric that was engulfing his neck, enjoying how delicate it felt against his fingers, Yibo nods. "Fine. I can do that."

"Good. Now sit on my lap." Spoke a confident and bold voice. 

"Huh?" Yibo asks as his eyebrows fly up his forehead, "You- You're so...! I thought this was going to be just hand holding and that's it, why are you suddenly asking for all of this?" 

With a scoff comes a reply, "Fine. Hold my hand then." He also extends an arm towards Yibos direction, wiggles his fingers just to prove a point. He gets pleasantly thrown off guard when, with an eye roll, Yibos hand connects with his. None of them say it, but yeah, both see the way their hands fit perfectly.

A huge grin is present in Xiao Zhans face as he looks down to their connected hands, "Good. Now come here." He points to his lap. "No..." Yibo whines, feeling an embarrassed ich on his cheeks. 

With a sigh, Xiao Zhan gives the blue haired boy a serious expression, "Nobody is going to believe that we're dating if you keep acting like this." 

The glare Yibo throws at him is cold. Either way, the boy gets up and suddenly, before Xiao Zhan is even aware of what is happening - Yibo is straddling him, both thighs on the side of his own. One arm pressed against his shoulder while the other was still occupied and tangled with Xiao Zhans hand. 

"How's this?" The younger boy asks with a low yet sweet voice, shy, avoiding eye contact for as long as he can. Meanwhile the older man never takes off his gaze from Yibos face, he just replies with a very enticed, "Perfect." 

For what seems like ages, they just stand there, closer to each other than they've ever been before - with their hands still together. Yibo then feels one hand slowly making itself present on his waist. He tries to fight off the weird feeling on his stomach as the older man does it. 

"Xiao Zhan?" Asks Yibo quite tentatively. 

"Zhan-ge." The older one corrects him. "What?" Yibo looks taken back. Meanwhile with a slight chuckle, the older man gets closer to Yibos face and repeats again, "Zhan-ge. You should call me Zhan-ge now."

"Fine. Listen Xiao Zhan...” Yibo starts with a small defiant grin while he backs away. With a raised eyebrow the man below Yibo scoffs, “I told you to call me-”

“I will call you that when I feel like it. As I was saying, Xiao Zhan, shouldn’t couple nicknames be more- I don't know, intimate? Everyone calls you that already…” The hand that is holding his waist tightens as he speaks. 

They’ve managed to get glimpses of eye contact briefly, but now, their gazes finally lock and no one is backing away. The long, fixed stare never breaks and Xiao Zhan notices the way Yibos eyes gleam under the lighting and how the entire scene reflects on his eyes like a mirror. 

The younger blinks and gulps. 

Xiao Zhan suggests, along with a teasing beam, “Should I call you _baobei,_ then?”

Suddenly Yibo breaks the contact between their hands, places the now free hand on Xiao Zhans shoulder for better support. He feels his face get slightly hotter and his nose scrunches as he sighs, “I guess…”

“Hey, can you get me a cup of water?” Xiao Zhan requests as he gulps, feeling thirsty all the sudden. The answer comes with a glare, “Go get it yourself!” 

“But you’re closer to the kitchen? Besides, this is your house. Is this how you treat your guests, _baobei?”_ Xiao Zhan questions with a smirk on his face and continues, “Or are you too comfortable here already?” He asserts his inquest by placing both his hands on Yibo’s waist as he squeezes. He raises his eyebrow when Yibo doesn’t answer. 

Yibo is hastily flying off of Xiao Zhans lap and starts to head to the kitchen as he mumbles, loud enough for the older to hear, “Asshole.”

“That’s not nice!” Xiao Zhan claims loud enough and he starts snickering when he sees a grumpy Yibo making his way back with a cup of water in his hands. He hands it to the older and sits next to him with his arms crossed. He huffs, “So annoying,”

After he is done chugging down the water, Xiao Zhan places the cup to the surface of the coffee table. Then he looks at Yibo gestures to his lap once again, “Are you waiting for an invitation?” 

“Again?” Yibo asks with an annoyed expression on his face, “At this point I’m not sure if you’re doing this for me to get comfortable or for your own amusement.”

A pause. Xiao Zhans eyes darken.

Shortly after hearing the words that left the youngsters' mouth Xiao Zhan has the audacity to fake a laugh and sarcastically say, “Haha. So funny. You know me so well.” and then he adds, “Now come here.” 

“No, I’m good.” 

“Wang Yibo, don’t be a brat. Come here,” He moves his head and indicates for him to go to his lap again with the gesture. Yibo shakes his head and looks awfully pleased when he sees how Xiao Zhans eyebrows are slightly down, displaying that he is bothered and irked. 

Xiao Zhan looks attractive when he looks upset and Yibo coughs and starts taking off the scarf around his neck, trying his best to ignore and push such trivial thoughts aside. With a long sigh Xiao Zhan asks, “Fine, I’ll get going then. Are you free tomorrow night?” 

Yibo looks stunned as he moves his head upwards, the older man had stood up while he was asking, while looking through his eyelashes he nods. 

“Good, come over for dinner.” He says, his gaze is darker than usual and Yibo feels something tighten in his stomach at the shift of his mood, “I’ll be cooking. It’s a date.” 

“Uh-” Yibo starts and before he can say anything he watches Xiao Zhan making his way towards his coat. He picks it up while he looks at Yibo, waiting for his answer. Meanwhile the younger feels another jitter on the inside, he starts playing with his fingers and blinks.He seriously doesn’t understand Xiao Zhan. Why is he looking at him like _that?_ Yibo feels pressured to give him an answer at the way he stares so intensely. 

“So?” Xiao Zhan urges, while putting his coat on. 

“I- Yeah, sure.” Yibo says. Nodding at his answer Xiao Zhan says no more and waves goodbye nonchalantly and turns his back. 

Yibos heart starts beating really fast and he feels his body heating up. His thoughts are going rapidly and screaming at him for some reason. “Wait!” Yibo shouts again and sprints to the door. 

“You- I..” Yibo has no idea what to say or why he ran over in the first place. “What time should I show up?” He asks as he looks up to an unamused Xiao Zhan. 

Shrugging his shoulders, he replies, “I only have classes during the morning, I’ll be here all afternoon. You can come when you feel like it.” His facial expression is so casual and indifferent, he barely pays attention to Yibo too.

He turns his heels and before he can go any further Yibo grabs onto his coat. 

Facing him once again, Xiao Zhans eyes are dark and he looks clearly pissed, he motions his head towards the hand that was still gripping onto his jacket, telling Yibo to let him go without speaking.

The frown that was present on his face softens however when he hears Yibo speak to him so softly. 

_“Zhan-ge?_ Are you mad at me? Did I offend you? I’m sorry, I know you’re doing all of this for me but I made you upset-” Yibo gets caught off guard when he feels the same pair of lips from yesterday onto his once again. It’s a quick peck but it still leaves Yibo breathless when they pull out of it.

“Then _be good_ next time.” 

Not knowing what to say or do, Yibo nods his head, slightly dazed, eyes looking huge on his face and his lips slightly pinker than before. 

He watched Xiao Zhan take long strides and before he knew it, Xiao Zhan was on the opposite side of him closing the door to his own apartment without even sparing him a glance.

Fuck. 

When Yibo is back in his place he darts to his room and buries his head into the pillows of his bed and mentally kicks himself for his dirty mind who can’t stop thinking about how seductive, tempting and attractive it was the way Xiao Zhan looked at him and told him to behave. 

Yibos’ grudges against Xiao Zhan are right there and so was his pain that never seemed to fade away despite it already being almost two years in the past. He should call this off, he knows it! But there is also a part of him that knows that he doesn’t want to. 

Yibo groans when he feels his cock twitch in his pants. Is he really going to do this? 

Shamelessly, Yibo turns on his back and starts to touch himself. He quickly takes off his clothes and spreads his legs. Hands teasing himself - stroking himself slowly.

Stimulating the head and his own glans, he starts to feel throbs and tingles everywhere that make him moan. Changing his position, which only made his body more excited and on the edge.

While he changes the position, he also switches the hand he was using which causes a different sensation to spread all over his insides - he keens out loud. Using his nondominant hand, Yibo continues to please himself. 

After a while he swaps hands again and starts to twist his strokes from the base all the way to the tip which causes him to mewl. He palms himself and then grips onto his cock which makes him cry out the loudest.

He starts to fantasize about somebody holding his squirming body in place and fuck him right which causes him to whine desperatly. Yibos own hips start to move in circular motion and he speeds up the brushes which causes him to drop his head again and whine. The blue haired boy grabs his cock hard again which makes him screech, he is so close.

“Fuck, fuck.” He moans out loud. His mouth forms an ‘o’ when starts to feel himself get closer and closer to release. 

_“Ah,_ ‘m so close. A-Almost there. Fuck!” Not in the mood to edge himself, Yibo plays with his balls as he rubs his dick fastly. 

With a wail, Yibo starts to release in spurts of white. He caresses himself some more and fucks himself through the orgasm, enjoying the way the come oozes as he pumps some more. It feels so good that Yibo is whimpering as his body starts to shake uncontrollably. 

His chest is moving up and down rapidly. He tries to control his breath but he can’t help it. It takes him some minutes before he can get up and clean himself. 

He feels tired and listless, so he goes to sleep despite it being still a bit too early. 

  
  
  
  


During classes the next day, Yibo can barely pay attention to anything. He messes up during dance practice and he can barely register any words that are coming out of his professors’ mouths. He is too busy replaying the day prior. Overthinking about every single little detail.

He gulps and touches the fabric of the scarf around his neck, which still smells like Xiao Zhan. Speaking of… he needs to return it to him and start the whole process. He sighs. 

While making his way down the hall with Wenhan and Yixuan, he doesn’t even bother to engage in the conversation. Worry and tension slowly taking over him. 

“Yibo? Yibo?” Wenhan asks as he waves a hand in front of Yibos face. The younger breaks from his train of thought. “Oh, sorry.” 

“No, it's fine. Are you okay?” 

“Uh, oh. Yeah, I was just thinking about returning this scarf to its owner.” Yibo says and laughs (well, attempts, it comes out too airy and fake). 

“It’s not yours?” Yixuan asks. With a nod, Yibo replies, “Mn, not mine.”

Yibo then spots the taller male that has been on his mind since he woke up. Perfect. “Oh, I see him. I’ll be right back.” Yibo says and starts to make his way past the crowd of people, where Xiao Zhan was. 

He can already feel the numerous pairs of eyes that are already fixated on them. 

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo asks, even though the older had spotted him as he was walking and literally was facing him. “Hi, Yibo.” Xiao Zhan tilts his head in question. 

“I just came here,” Yibo says as he starts to take off his scarf, “ to give this back to you.” He then hands the wool fabric to the older man which causes an awkward silence to fill the entire building. (Nobody was expecting _this._ )

“Thanks.” Yibo mumbles, looking down.

Xiao Zhans laugh literally echoes through the big hall. He scratches the back of his head as he takes it back, “Yeah. It’s fine.”

Yibo turns his head and starts walking towards his friends and tries to ignore the loud murmurs and whispers from the crowd. 

When Yibo is back to where they were he is met by a synchronized, “What the fuck?” And honestly he can’t blame them. He’s been boasting about how much he hates this guy for like almost two years now. But he tries to look as self-conscious and sheepish as he can. 

“I know, don’t even ask.” Yibo whines as best as he can. Lying to them isn’t easy. 

“What?” Wenhan asks first, “Where?” Yixuan asks second. “How?” Sungjoo who appeared to be entering the hall as the exchange happened says third. “He gave me his scarf, outside our building. I was freezing and he saw me struggling, so decided to give it to me when I started shaking. No big deal.”

“No big deal? Do you know what he did to y-”

With a sigh, “Yes, I know. I _experienced_ it.”

  
  
  
  


Later that evening, Yibo was getting ready to go for dinner at Xiao Zhans house. Ever since the scene at the hallway happened, it looked like it became the topic of everyone's conversation. His friends can’t stop bugging him about it, even outsiders too. He ignored them all as best as he could. 

Yibo walks from across his apartment to Xiao Zhans, which is less than twenty feet away from his. Knocking on the door, he licks his lips anxiously. When the door opens, he is met by Xiao Zhan who looks at him with a small smirk on his lips. “Hi, boyfriend. You came just in time. I’ve got everything ready.”

“Hi, Xiao Zhan.” Yibo says while rolling his eyes and then enters the apartment. 

The layout is almost similar to his but the decor and overall atmosphere is adverse. He likes it. 

A few steps into the apartment, Yibo meets an adorable and chubby cat. He coos and immediately goes for it, completely ignoring Xiao Zhan. It starts to meow at Yibo which causes Yibo to pet it softly. Clearing his throat Xiao Zhan says, “I see you’ve met my princess, Jianguo.”

Without looking up, Yibo hums and starts to inspect Jianguos small legs. “Ah, you’re so adorable.” He says and the cat meows at him happily. 

“Oh my god, it looks like she’s smiling.” Yibo says with a soft laugh at Xiao Zhan, the older is dazed by how bright it is. The older one nods with a fond look on his face. “I didn’t know you had a cat.” Yibo says and then the response is a simple, “Oh. I recently got her.”

Nodding Yibo lets go of her and goes to wash his hands, soon after returns he realises that the table and everything are already set. 

“Sit,” Xiao Zhan points to the table and Yibo does. 

“This is… nice.” The younger says, running out of things to say. 

Nodding Xiao Zhan motions to the food, “Dig in, you haven’t even had a bite yet.” Nodding, the younger brags his chopsticks and starts to eat. When he tries the first bite his eyes go huge. With his cheeks full, looking quite adorable, Yibo says, “It’s delicious. You really cooked this?” 

With an affirmative nod, Xiao Zhan smiles.

Much to their surprise, the conversation flows quite nicely and they don’t run out of things to say. It’s pleasant to be doing this and not to be arguing everyday. They talk about various things, somehow the show they put out today comes up.

“Well I think we deserve an Oscar.” Xiao Zhan jokes and Yibo chuckles. “Yeah, I didn’t know they’d react like that. But… it was kind of fun.” The younger confesses with honesty as he takes a sip of his drink. 

Suddenly, something flashes across Xiao Zhans eyes. He takes a bite of his food and then looks at Yibo and questions him, “Did you have fun last night too?” Tilting his head in confusion, Yibo questions, “What do you mean?”

“When you were moaning as loud as you could last night. Were you having fun, huh?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so? what do you think? i enjoyed writing this chapter tbh


	3. Chapter 3

Yibo seems frozen in his seat, his tongue is running over lips as he tries to control his breathing pace. He turns his head to where Jianguo was, averting his look to something other than Xiao Zhan. The rosiness that was blooming on his cheeks gave away his flustered reaction. 

Clearing his throat, Xiao Zhan says with a smirk, “I asked you a question, Wang Yibo.” 

With a flabbergasted scoff at the sheer audacity, the younger male finally locks their eyes together. With a newly found assurance (it must’ve been his hatred that finally came back when he saw the annoying smile the older had). The initial shock had completely gone.

With a defiant voice comes the reply, “Obviously. Why would I be so loud if I wasn’t having a good time? It felt good.” 

“Fucking creep.” Yibo also utters under his breath, loud enough for the man across him to hear it though. With a delighted eye roll, Xiao Zhan responds, “I was painting, you distracted me.” 

Picking up more food from his plate, Yibo stuffs his mouth completely. Cheeks become chubby and round while he chews. Afterwards, he shrugs, indifferent and uninterested in the implications, “That sounds like a problem that is yours and not mine.” 

“This painting is really important-” Xiao Zhan is about to say something more but Yibo cuts him in the middle of his sentence. “Well maybe you should follow my example and get yourself off, you seem awfully grumpy these days, old man. Probably sexually frustrated too.” A sly smile appears on Yibos face. 

Xiao Zhan doesn’t respond yet; he just lifts his eyebrow towards the younger, not sure if the reply he has in mind is appropriate or not, so he keeps it to himself. The scoff that escapes his mouth is involuntary. 

“What are you laughing at?” Yibo snaps. This isn’t the behaviour or retort he was expecting, he thought he’d get the older embarrassed but instead he is amused?

“You’re so easy to rile up, Wang Yibo.” With his elbow supported on the table and his face on his hand, Xiao Zhan says with a teasing smirk on his face. “I heard you pleasure yourself so loud yesterday and somehow I’m the one who is sexually frustrated.” 

Yibo blinks and picks up more food. He bites and gnaws, the food is delicious - he knows the older cooked it, he won’t actually give him credit though. “Fuck off.” He opts to say. “Don’t you agree with me?” Xiao Zhan says as he tilts his head. He picks up his utensils and starts to eat slowly as he observes the younger. 

Yibo hates how intense his gaze is. He feels so _watched._

“I don’t agree with you!” He says and gives him a dirty look, “I’m grown and I have my own needs, it’s normal for me to feel desire. You mentioning this is completely unnecessary and uncalled for. What makes you think you have the right to ask me about it?” Yibo snaps. 

Xiao Zhan doesn’t look like he minds the way the conversation took a sour direction on Yibos part, “You were disturbing me, boyfriend.” He opts to say, lightly. 

“Are you? Are you really my boyfriend, Xiao Zhan?” 

The way Yibo pronounces his words and asks them are with such venom and bitterness. It may be too far, they’ve agreed not to talk about their past but he supposes he deserves to be an asshole in return too. 

“Watch your fucking words, Wang Yibo. Do I need to teach you basic manners?” Xiao Zhan says in return. 

“Watch _your_ fucking words, Xiao Zhan. You started this! You should’ve just kept your mouth shut.” Yibo grits his teeth. 

“I’m always the one who is at fault in everything, right? According to you, you’re always fucking right. You never do anything wrong, do you?” Xiao Zhan drops his chopsticks and utters and exclaims, voice louder than before. 

With all the sudden commotion, the feline comes and stares at them. Breathing in and out, Yibo avoids eye contact with Xiao Zhan for now and looks at Jianguo instead. When the cat meows at Yibo, he says, “Your dad is an asshole.” 

That comment catches Xiao Zhan off guard and instead of getting more angry than he was, he gets awfully endeared at his cats’ confused meow in return, so he chuckles and coos at her being adorable. Yibo grins at the kitten too. 

Jianguo seems pleased for now and suddenly turns around, leaving them both alone. It almost seemed like she just came here to calm the situation down, like the angel that she is. 

“Baby, come here.” Xiao Zhan says as he watches his cat leave. Yibo, being the _stupid_ person that he thinks he is, looks at Xiao Zhan. He almost slaps himself when he realises he wasn’t calling out for him. Thank goodness he isn’t looking at him. 

Looking down on his plate, Yibo tries to calm down the pink coloring that he could feel on his face. He sighs and looks up. 

Their eyes finally meet again. “Are you feeling well?” Xiao Zhan asks. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s stop arguing and leave the past in the past, yeah?”

Nodding his head Xiao Zhan, “I was just teasing, I apologise-” 

“No need, let’s just move on. I was the one who brought up what happened before after all. And... I’ll be more quiet next time, I guess.” Yibo says and shrugs. With that being said, there is a silence that reigns on the room. They finish their food without uttering a single word or looking at one another, each thinking about what happened on their own.

Soon after they’re finished, Xiao Zhan starts picking up the dirty dishes and Yibo is trailing behind him.

“I’ll wash them.” Yibo says as he looks at the older man. Frowning, Xiao Zhans says, “You’re the guest, of course not.” 

“Xiao Zhan just let me do it. You cooked already.” 

With an eyeroll Xiao Zhan tries to dismiss the younger but being the stubborn person that Yibo is he somehow managed to convince the older to let him do it instead. 

Xiao Zhan never leaves the kitchen, his lower back is pressed against the counter as he watches the blue haired boy wash the greasy items quite fast beside him. He tries not to think about this too much, at the domesticity that lingers in his stomach. 

“You’re staring.” Yibo says as he grabs the last bowl. 

Instead of responding properly, “Stay.” Xiao Zhan says, “Let’s watch a movie or something.” 

A snort breaks among the air that seemed to be contaminated with tension. “You thought I was going to leave already? There is no way I’m going anywhere. Not until I adopt my Jianguo at least.” A smile blooms on the older man's face when he hears Yibo and shortly after he adds, “As her fake dad, you have some sort of custody but don’t abuse your powers, she’s still mine.” 

Snickering, Yibo nods. “I think I can live with that.”

“So what are we watching?” Yibo asks a bit later as he dries his hands, looking up at Xiao Zhan. 

“Not a scary movie.” Xiao Zhan says out of instinct. 

Yibo nods. “Uh- yeah. You remembered.”

“Why would I forget?” Xiao Zhan laughs, “Anyway, let’s go.” He points his head towards the living room and the younger boy nods. They make their way to the room and the blue haired boy sits down as he watches Xiao Zhan move around, setting everything up.

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo asks tentatively. Turning his head almost immediately and dropping what he was doing, Xiao Zhan asks, “What is it?”

“Do you have any candy?” 

The older chuckled in surprise, “Yeah, it’s on the top cabinet in the kitchen. You didn’t see it?” 

“No I didn’t. I’ll be right back, do you also want some?” Yibo asks and the older shakes his head. The younger searches through the top shelf a few moments later. 

Yibo is fully grown yet he can’t quite reach the chocolate and other things on the cabinet since they’re in the back. He groans and gets on the tip of his toes to reach for them, he almost trips and falls down which makes him curse. 

Xiao Zhan comes into the kitchen when he feels like the younger is taking too long, when he finds him he immediately laughs at the sight of Yibo on top of a chair while reaching out for the sweets. Yibo looks at him, embarrassed, and starts whining about how he purposefully put the candies so far from the reach of a person with a normal height. 

Rolling his eyes Xiao Zhan helps him come down and puts the chair back to its original place.

Yibo is eating the chocolate as he watches Xiao Zhan sit next to him and start the movie. 

“Do you want some?” Yibo asks and doesn’t wait for the older to answer and just hands him a few pieces. In disbelief the older shakes his head but takes the sweets in hand and eats them anyway.

After the beginning credits end, the younger one recognizes the movie fastly. “The Titanic, really?” Yibo also says, “Xiao Zhan everyone knows how it ends.” 

“I guess you’re right. But it is an iconic movie with amazing cinematography, you can’t deny that.” Xiao Zhan says, “Also, I need to watch it for reference for a project.” 

“Oh.” Yibo laughs. “What is it about? Drawing your french girls, I suppose.” 

Rolling his eyes, the older man responds, “Sort of.” 

The conversation dies from there, both too invested in the film. The only thing that can be heard from time to time is Yibo opening up a wrapper of another snack. 

“I hate this part.” Yibo says as he watches Rose almost commit suicide, Xiao Zhan on the other hand takes his eyes off the screen to look at him, “Why? How else would the two have fallen in love if this didn’t happen...” 

“If it was meant to be then they would’ve found another way, I guess.” 

Gulping, Xiao Zhan doesn’t say anything. He isn’t sure if Yibo is referring to the scene or something else. So he just goes back to watch the motion picture. “What’s your favourite scene then?” Xiao Zhan asks after a while, both clearly not caring about the scenes with the rich bastard in them. 

“When she throws the necklace into the ocean in the end.” Yibo says, his head is against the sofa and his body is slouched. Suddenly, the blue haired boy looks up to see Xiao Zhan and questions him, “Yours?” 

With a grin, “I have a few that I like but… I guess the part where the musicians keep playing despite being in such a deadly situation when the ship was sinking.” 

Nodding, “And the other one?” Yibos eyes look big on his face as he waits for an answer from him, judging by Xiao Zhans smirk Yibo sighs and says, “Let me guess-”

“The part where they fuck in the car.” They both say at the same time. They laugh, it’s been a while since this inside joke was mentioned. Shaking his head, Yibo goes back to giving his full attention to the movie. 

An hour or so passes and the movie is nearing its end, it’s unfamous scene is starting and at this point both of them are actually so invested that they get emotional. Yibo has tears falling from his eyes by the time Rose is calling out to a lifeless Jack. 

“Are you crying?” Xiao Zhan asks, face getting closer to Yibos. The younger backs away and shakes his head while wiping his tears away. 

Rolling his eyes, the older man pulls Yibo closer to him, wrapping an arm around him. Instead of slapping his hands off him, Yibo drops his head between his shoulder and chest, trying to ignore the sparks in his stomach. They stay like that for a while, even after the movie is finished and credits are rolling. 

The silence between them is pleasant. Just as the first bite of the cold wind creeps on the living room, Xiao Zhans hand moves around Yibos middle, warm and soft. Their bodies remain molded into one, sharing body heat. 

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo calls for the older man, his voice barely even audible, shy and self-causitions. “Hm?”

Blinking nervously, Yibo somehow maintains eye contact, “Have you ever thought about what happened between us?” He asks hesitantly. 

Xiao Zhan notices how huge his eyes look, sparkling, just a little bit red from the crying he did earlier but docile either way. _Everyday,_ Xiao Zhan wants to say, but he doesn’t, he lies and says, “Sometimes.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Yibo asks, biting his lips.

Nodding, “Do you?” 

Dropping his head on Xiao Zhans chest again, Yibo shakes his head against it. A soft and quiet laugh from the older, “It’s okay. We’ll talk about it when you’re ready.” And it's the only thing said for a while, both too engrossed in each others’ embrace and warmth for now.

After a while Yibo is starting to feel drowsy and sleepy, since his mind’s too relaxed he just says with an honest tone, “I hate how things turned out.” 

“Me too.”

“I wish we could start things over.” 

“Me too.”

“I hate you.”

“If you really hate me then why did you ask me to do this with you?” 

“The same reason why you accepted.” 

A small smile appears on Xiao Zhans lips, the blue haired boy is right but he ignores the claim and says instead, “You should go home, you’re almost falling asleep.” 

“We didn’t even talk about what we’re gonna do tomorrow. You know? Like a couple who is hiding...” Yibo slowly gets away from Xiao Zhans grasp and mumbles his sentence as he rubs his eyes.

“I’ll give you some sweaters, wear some in the next few days.” Xiao Zhan says softly. Yibo nods and gets up. He stretches and yawns. 

Xiao Zhan is off to his bedroom, looking for clothes he can give to Yibo. He picks up some of the sweaters he wears more often (people would recognise them, right?) and when he was back to where Yibo was, the younger one was hugging Jianguo tight. 

Xiao Zhans heart starts to beat faster at the sight of the two of them together. Clearing his throat he says, “Come on, I’ll take you home.” 

Trailing behind a tired and lazy Yibo, Xiao Zhan holds the small pile of sweaters in his hands, he sighs as they make their way across his own apartment to Yibos.

Yibo goes straight to his bedroom when they arrive, getting ready for sleep. 

“Xiao Zhan?” Yibo asks a bit louder when he’s completely finished, “Yeah, I’m here.” The older enters the room and replies. He takes a look at Yibo, who seems to only be wearing an oversized shirt (that exposes his collarbones and neck perfectly) and boxers only. The elevator gaze the older gives is obvious to both of them but Xiao Zhan wants to also tell him about how cold it is and how he’ll catch a cold with only a shirt to bed but he doesn’t have the strength to. 

Averting his eyes, Xiao Zhan says, “I left my clothes in the living room. Goodnight, I’m going.” 

_“Zhan-ge,”_ Yibo asks, “Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?” 

Xiao Zhans heart does its usual reaction to Yibo, which is to beat ten times faster than usual whenever he is around him. He gulps nervously, “Fine.” 

After laying down the bed and covering himself with the duvet, Yibo can feel Xiao Zhan slowly sitting next to him afterwards. He starts to blink up lazily at the older who seems to be fixated on his face. “Go to sleep.” The words are spoken gently as Xiao Zhan starts to stroke Yibos hair smoothly while he lays in the pillow. Yibo feels so good and comfortable, he starts to crave more of the affectionate touch so he leans his head towards the older man. 

The blue haired boy can feel himself dozing off to sleep slowly, the more he blinks, the more he wants to sleep yet he doesn’t want the warm hand on him to stop (or for Xiao Zhan to leave). Yibo gets up, supporting himself with an elbow, “Xiao Zhan,”

Sensing how close Yibo is to his lips, Xiao Zhan looks in the other direction. 

“Xiao Zhan…” Yibo whines.

“You’re going to regret this in the morning.” A sigh, “Just go to sleep.” 

Although Xiao Zhan considered himself to be the more mature out of the two of them, he also thinks he might be the stupidest because the moment their eyes lock again, he feels this pull towards Yibo. It’s insane how out of touch his body and mind are, he’s already kissed Yibo more times than he should have since they’ve started this deal - he doesn’t need to make the same mistake again and again. 

When he feels Yibos serene and tired breath against his own lips he stands up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight.” He says too quickly.

Blinking, the younger just drops back to the pillow - feeling rejected and foolish. His lips are shut, he doesn’t say anything but the scowl is evident in his eyes. He turns his back to Xiao Zhan, yes he did this without a single word spoken yet it was enough to deliver his message. 

Heart just a little broken at the sight of Yibo like this, Xiao Zhan goes near him and bends down to plant a small kiss on his cheek. He leaves before anything else can happen. 

  
  
  
  


The next day Yibo wakes up later than usual and does his entire morning routine so fast, he almost forgets to wear Xiao Zhans sweater, luckily he remembered while he was washing his teeth and sorting out his bag for dancing practice later. 

Without paying attention to what he chooses, he just grabs an item from the pile the older left, puts it on. 

Soon after he arrives at campus, he runs to the classroom while feels the clock ticking, he makes it to his class last-minute.

He doesn’t even notice the commotion he leaves behind him when he passed by the thousand of students when he was flying off to his class as fast as possible, but yes, they notice Yibos state and how awfully messy his hair is and how big his sweater is for him.

By the time he meets up with Wenhan after class he doesn’t even greet him, he just straight up asks with a deadpan, “Did you fuck? Everyones talking about you.”

Confused, “Why? What?” 

“Don’t give me that look, you’re not fooling me! You’re literally wearing a sweater twice your size, I can literally see your shoulder that has a bruise on it... your hair is a mess too, you’re kind of limping too!” 

Yibo hurt himself when he practiced a new skateboarding trick (he fell), ever since that day his knees have been a little bit more sensitive than usual so when he ran from home to college of course he was going to limp a little. The bruise on his shoulder is because of Seungyoun! But he supposes this is the reaction he wanted from people though... 

“I swear I didn’t...“ Yibo says, meanwhile, rolling his eyes, Wenhan wraps around his shoulder, “You’re so bad at lying! All the signs are right there.” 

With a sigh, “Fine, you caught me.”

Yibo pretends to be sheepish about it, he even fidgets under Wenhan’s touch. The latter has a smirk on his face - which indicates he is about to tease Yibo or say something stupid, before he is able to open his mouth the rest of the dance crew comes in and bombards Yibo with the same questions. The blue haired boy tries to avoid the questions about who it was as best as he can. 

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Yibo excuses himself out of the room and says he is going to the toilet. While he walks, he spots Xiao Zhan with his friends. 

The older catches Yibos gaze and looks back at him, something flashes in his eyes when he sees how Yibo models his clothes. Xiao Zhan follows Yibo as he walks with his usual intense ogling, he stops talking mid sentence. 

“Xiao Zhan? You were saying...” Xuan Lu waits and then mimics Xiao Zhan to see what he is looking at, realising Yibo is passing by them. “Oh..” She murmurs. 

"Everyone's talking about him, you know? I think I saw Li Jun crying when she heard that he fucked. It’s so weird-” She only speaks after Yibo is out of their sight, “Did you hear anything last night?” 

Xiao Zhan thinks about how he is going to answer, they’ve planned for people to figure out he’s wearing someone else’s clothes not that he is having sex with someone. He supposes he can just go along with it right? 

“He was really loud.” Is the only thing he says in the end and Zhuocheng snorts. 

“Can we talk about something else?” He asks which makes Xuan Lu frown, “Zhan-Zhan, don’t tell me you still have feel-” 

With a sigh, he lies, “No, no. Don’t worry.” 

Yubin is uncharacteristically quiet, when Xiao Zhan turns to him he is examining him back and he scratches his chin funnily, “I think I’ve seen that sweater before, haven’t you, Xiao Zhan?” 

With a laugh Xiao Zhan asks, “What are you implying?” 

“I don’t know... Ask him,” Yubin says as he points to Yibo who seems to be coming up to them. 

Breathing out heavily, Xiao Zhan jogs towards him and scratches his head. The younger one looks a bit red, his cheeks flushed, his round lips part and asks, “Xiao Zhan? Did you hear about what people said…” 

Pressing his lips together, Xiao Zhan nods. Yibo somehow turns even redder than before and steps closer to him, both can feel the eyes of their peers on them and how the rumors are already spreading. He then whispers slowly, “I didn’t know people were going to assume that I- we….” 

“Yeah, me neither.” The older replies but he is too busy focusing on how loose fitting his sweater is on him and how it shows his bruises prettily. 

Maybe if Yibo hadn’t overslept, he wouldn’t look so fucked out. He bites the inside of his cheek and looks up to Xiao Zhan, “I don’t know what to do.” 

“Go along with it? There’s not much we can do.”

With a sigh, “You’re right. Also, I think I-” Yibo says and gets even closer to him, Xiao Zhan leans in because he is speaking so small (he supposes it’s because he doesn’t want anyone to hear their conversation), “I think I left something in your house last night during the movie, I think? I don’t remember really well..” 

“I don’t think so… I’ll see when I get home later, okay?” 

Nodding, Yibo backs away and glares at him, “Fine. Anyway,” he then starts whisper-yelling at him “I can’t believe you left the biggest sweater on top of the pile and of course it's big enough to show my bruise. Did you plan this?” 

He then whacks Xiao Zhan in the arm. With an startled expression the older hits back and says, “It’s not my fault you’re a toddler and can’t pick your clothes properly. And look at your hair.” 

Rolling his eyes, Yibo strikes him again but immediately starts walking hastily away from the older. Xiao Zhan says, “You little shit!” 

By the time Yibo comes back their instructor has arrived so he doesn’t get asked too many questions which he is very thankful for. 

He dances and dances, forgets about how messy his life has gotten and simply is one with the music. His injured knees start to ache even more as time flies by, aching and sending slight jolts whenever he moves too hastily. 

When they’re done for the day, he can barely walk properly so he limps and clings to Seungyoun as they walk out. 

“Yibo!” Sungjoo yells and he turns around, letting go of his best friend, “You won’t believe what people are saying!” 

“What is it?”

“They’re saying you and Xiao Zhan fucked!” 

Yibos’ eyes widen, he chokes and coughs. Meanwhile Seungyoun bursts into laughter, “As if that fucker could get a piece of this!” And then points up to him, “Right?” 

The younger one looks like a deer stuck in the headlights but nods slowly. He wonders how they will react when they actually start the fake dating process, then, “No, we didn’t fuck.” He says, honestly. “People are making things up again.” 

He manages to sway the topic of conversation.

For the next few days, Yibo will wear more of Xiao Zhans sweaters. People notice the similarities but since the duo that kept bickering rarely interested, they said nothing. Yibo and Xiao Zhan don’t talk during this entire time, too caught up in their own lives. This time around though, Yibo picks the clothes that don’t show off the fading bruise of his body. His knees start to heal as well. 

Yibo hates to admit it, but he really likes how warm and fluffy they feel against his skin. They smell like Xiao Zhan and his scent seems to be engulfing Yibo in a tight hug, mixing with his own, he enjoys it a little bit too much. Even when he arrives home, he doesn’t take them off. 

On the end of the week, however, he washes the sweaters and when they’re dry, he actually irons them. He neatly folds them in place, getting them ready to return them to their original owner. 

With a sullen look on face, he piles them together as best as they can. Maybe he should buy some for himself, he thinks. 

He makes his way to the door briskly, he knocks and when he looks up he is met by a very tired and exhausted looking Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Zhans recent days come into two different forms, physical and mental fatigue. His body needs to rest, the lack of sleep is catching up to him while his anxiety is also slowly eating him up from trying to get his projects right.

Yibo blinks and hands him the stack of sweaters. “...Are you okay?” 

With a faint laugh, he says “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” Then he proceeds to take back his clothes. 

“I’ll wear them next week, yeah?” Xiao Zhan asks and Yibo looks up and nods, he chews on his lower lip and says, “And then we’ll start the- dating.” 

“Yeah…” The older man agrees. Then he keeps staring at Yibo which creates a gradual increase in the tension between them. “Can I ask you something?” He asks after a few seconds. Yibo looks a bit taken back but he nods, “Yeah, of course.” 

After a few failures during this entire week, Xiao Zhans confidence on acing this work has been consuming his thoughts all day, everyday, even at the times where he should be sleeping. He’d wake up late at night and pull up a new canvas, find a new subject - he even thought about painting a _still life_ (he hates those) at some point, yet it still came out forced and brush strokes unnatural and stiff.

“Can I paint you?” Xiao Zhan asks, frustrated, “I’ve been trying so hard to find something to paint for this project but nothing feels right. I-I.. At this point I have no idea what to do.” 

Xiao Zhan sounds so defeated and beat, it definitely causes Yibos heartstrings to pull towards complying without a second thought, almost immediately, “I’ll do it, calm down. Hey, when do you want to do it? I think I’m free this weekend. And right now-” 

“Fuck, yes. Yes, come in. I just want to sketch some things out and see if it's what I’m looking for.” 

When Yibo enters Xiao Zhans apartment he is greeted by his lovely cat, who seems to recognize Yibo, she starts nuzzling her head against Yibos leg cutely. The younger starts cooing softly at her and picks her up. 

Xiao Zhan is off to his own bedroom to drop off the clothes Yibo had returned, after so he makes his way towards the younger. As soon as he’s back, the younger looks over his shoulder, “Where are you painting me?” 

Gulping at how sticking Yibo looks from this angle, “Just come to my bedroom,”

When Yibo enters the room, he is met by a chaotic mess of paint, canvases all over the floor and an empty easel. There are papers with prints of different things and objects all over the bed. 

Yibo winces, wishing to clean this up as soon as possible. So he does that, starts to grab the prints from the bed and accumulates them all together and puts them on the desk.

“What are you doing? Stop, I can do that myself.” Xiao Zhan says. Rolling his eyes, Yibo snaps and says, “Stop? You look like a walking corpse! Have you eaten? When was the last time you slept, Xiao Zhan?” 

The guilty look he receives is enough for him not to snap again, he simply huffs and turns around to arrange the desk better. After he is done he picks up the scattered brushes from the floor and places them in their original place. Along the brushes he also picks up the expensive tubes of paint and closes them, depositing them in an open box where Xiao Zhan seemed to keep them. The unfinished canvas’ with different height and width are all stored next to the closet soon after. 

“You don’t need to do this…”

Yibo just sends him a scowl in response which seems to shut Xiao Zhan up for now. Hands touching the easel, Yibo asks, “Where do you want to put this? In the front of the bed?” 

Shaking his head, “No, I’m just drawing you on paper today, no need for it.”

Nodding, Yibo asks awkwardly, “How do you want me?” 

“Just sit on the edge of the bed.” 

While sitting down Yibo examines how Xiao Zhan grabs a drawing board, a few pencils and a sketchbook. He turns the chair that was facing the desk to the other side, facing Yibo now, the older sits. 

Opening his sketchbook, Xiao Zhan looks up to the blue haired boy who seems to not know what to pose, his hands are at his front, looking stiff. With a light smile, “Relax,” Xiao Zhan says.

“Place both your hands on your sides and support yourself like that. Lean back a bit and lift your chin a little.” Xiao Zhan says and Yibo follows along almost immediately, “Like this?”

Humming, “Yeah, that’s good. Just like that.” 

He starts to draw instantly, following the basic shapes that represent Yibo, roughly getting his pose right from the start. After cleaning up the sketch, he looks up and sees how obedient and faithful Yibo stayed to the pose. Grabbing another pencil, he outlines it more precisely and blocks the parts that he considers as shadows. He grins, liking the way it’s turning out, especially the line of his jawline and how the representation of the neck is accurate enough.

“You know Yibo, I think if I actually paint you it will fit into the whole fake dating thing. Don’t you agree?” He looks up from the paper to Yibo, who seems to be still committed to the pose but Xiao Zhan can see the suggestion of a smirk. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“How should I title it? ‘My Muse, Wang Yibo’?” He teases as he goes over the slender and sinuous lines that represent the body of a dancer. 

“You haven’t even started painting it yet. Shouldn’t you worry about that instead of the names?” Yibo snorts. “Little shit,” Xiao Zhan says under his breath. 

They share a few words from there, too busy doing their part in this collaboration. It goes on for a while now, Xiao Zhan has managed to do a handful of different illustrations - each with different elements that make it special. One that represents Yibos incredible side profile, another one that focuses on his neck and shoulders and another one with a depiction of his long arms and hands.Yibo does every arrangement Xiao Zhan comes up with without any complaint. 

Now, Yibo is laying on the bed, back facing the older while supporting himself on his arm and looking over his shoulder. 

Xiao Zhans eyes glow (despite his tired state) and then realises, yes, this is the pose.

Yibo’s waist to hip ratio is marvellous, even when if he is wearing clothes, the curve that forms is so lithe and agile, almost immediately making the viewer travel up all the way the back to see the perfect angled shoulder that supports a face carved by the greek canons. His eyes are piercing and even his eyebrows have some sort of expression on them. 

“I think we’ve got the pose. You can get up now.” 

Dramatically falling onto the bed, Yibo whines and calls Xiao Zhan a nightmare to work with for being so demanding with his poses. Xiao Zhan gets him a cup of water and thanks him for acting so obedient, ruffling his hair like the other day. Yibo preens. The oldests' soft smile turns into a yawn. 

“You should get some sleep. I’ll come back tomorrow.” Then he gets up and smacks Xiao Zhan just because he can. The older man doesn't fight back, he just rolls his eyes and waves at him. 

Yibo shouts a “Goodbye!” and is off to his own apartment just like that. 

  
  
  
  


The next day, Yibo comes back around the same time during the evening. Xiao Zhan looks more well rested than the previous day, than any thoughts of Xiao Zhan vanish from Yibos head the moment he spots the little kitten who was too busy licking her water to care about Yibos arrival. 

“I swear, you’re the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life!” He murmurs to her softly while she keeps drinking. Xiao Zhan has to drag him to his bedroom to get his attention.

“So are you doing the final painting today?” Yibo asks, laying down and imitating his position from yesterday. Shaking his head, Xiao Zhan says, “No, just some composition and color testing.” 

Nodding like he pretends he knows what Xiao Zhan is talking about, the younger one says softly, “Oh, okay.”

Xiao Zhan chuckles and searches for a perfect place where he can look at his model and the canvas at the same time. He places the easel to the perfect position and starts mixing colors on his palette. 

Almost satisfied with the shades he created, Xiao Zhan hears Yibo ask, “Am I going to have to be naked when you do the final painting?” 

“Probably.” 

Yibo flushes. He did not sign up for this. But he says, because he is a brat who has no brain to mouth filter, “When I talked about drawing your french girls I wasn’t aware I was going to be one…” 

With a snort, Xiao Zhan tells him to behave and go back to his original pose. He gets into the position right away without a fuss. 

Xiao Zhan thinks about the composition and uses his previous drawings as reference. He ends up trying out two canvases with different positions to find the perfect one. In the end he picks it to be vertically, with Yibos eyes, face and shoulders being the focal point of the entire piece. 

He starts to test out various hues and saturations of colors. He feels particularly happy about the shades he has created for the blue tone of Yibos hair.

An hour or two pass. 

Both haven’t said a word yet, too transfixed in their own respective tasks to verbalize anything. Although Yibo is getting tired from holding the position, he doesn’t act upon it but the older one notices from the slight shift downwards of his body. 

“I think we’re done for today.” Xiao Zhan says tenderly. 

Yibo drops down the moment he says so and starts to cry about how terrible Xiao Zhan is to him again. “Ah, fuck, my back hurts so much.” He complains with a wail, wincing when he can feel painful tingles in his shoulder as well.

“...If only I had a good fake-boyfriend who could give me a messa-” Yibo is about to say but the older cuts, “In your dreams!” 

“So mean to me! At least bring me my daughter…” Yibo pouts up at him. With a sigh, Xiao Zhan grabs his cat and brings her to his room where Yibo is now spread and star-fished across the bed. Jianguo actually meows when she sees Yibo. Xiao Zhan laughs as he drops her on top of Yibos chest. 

Xiao Zhan is cleaning up his brushes, putting his stuff into place meanwhile Yibo is cuddling happily with the kitten.

“Yibo, I forgot to tell you but I have something to do tomorrow. Can we move the painting session from tomorrow for the next weekend?” Xiao Zhan asks. Yibo throws a pillow at him but nods either way. 

Shortly after Yibo gets a text and he seems to be too focused on his phone than anything at the moment.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Xiao Zhan asks. And then, “Oh, sorry. Wenhan just invited me over. I have to get going.” 

Masking his disappointment with a smile, Xiao Zhan humms.

“Oh, before I forget, I’m wearing the sweater you wore the other day with the bruised shoulder at campus on Monday. So if somebody comes up to you-” Xiao Zhan says and Yibo nods his head, with a soft smile, “Thanks..”

And too early for Xiao Zhans liking, Yibo is already leaving. He kisses Jianguo and waves goodbye to the older man. 

  
  
  
  


The moment Xiao Zhan steps foot on campus, he can feel the sudden looks from strangers as he passes by them when he is going to class. 

While waiting for class to start, Xiao Zhan works on the sketches of Yibo and when he feels Xuan Lu sitting down next to him he closes his book too fast which causes Yubin to snatch it away and peek through. 

He gasps when he sees the drawings of a certain blue haired boy. “Why are you drawing Wang Yibo?!” Yubin asks way too loud. Loud enough for their peers to stop and watch what’s going on. 

Scratching his head, “He’s my model for the painting project.” 

“What the fuck?” All his friends say in union.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xz painting yibo has been living in my head rent free for the past few days... i just.... it' so powerful
> 
> ps. - i'm really excited for xz to start teaching wyb some manners kkkk


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zsww nation here is some of the backstory!! also, some smut. oh and,
> 
> tw\ blood
> 
> yibo hurts himself while skating!

To say that words spread faster than the speed of light in his university, Xiao Zhan would say that it’s an understatement. The moment he uttered the words out, that Wang Yibo would be his model for his painting, by the time he stepped out of his classroom - almost the entire campus was aware of it. 

When Xiao Zhan dropped the news, he was bombarded by questions from his friends, he told them he’d answer them after class. He tried to escape them, now he takes long strides along the hallway, but they’ve managed to catch up with him. He can sense the eyes of his peers over him, gaping at him and whispering about Yibo and himself as he passes by them as fast as possible. 

“Don’t just think you can escape from us!” Yubin shouts behind him, Xiao Zhan sighs and turns around to face them. 

“Xiao Zhan, what the fuck?” Is what Xuan Lu says which feels like a very disappointing tone, that reminds him of the same voice his mother sometimes uses on him, Xiao Zhan kind of feels like his heart strings are being pulled. 

“Lulu, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but-” 

“It’s not about that…” She says while tucking her hair behind her ear, “Look, I’m worried about you. About the two of you, actually.” Xuan Lu is a nice person. Xiao Zhan loves her so much, but he just doesn’t want to listen to this right now, not when he knows she is about to say something truthful that will end up hurting him.

“Yeah, exactly. The two of you together- It’s just not good.” Zhuocheng is the one who says it, straight forward, but the tone of his voice is soft and warm. 

“I know,” Xiao Zhan fights the urge to run away, “Besides, the two of us are not together. We- We never were in the first place.” Xiao Zhan looks at them in the eyes and continues, “It’s just a painting, nothing else.” 

He ends up lying. 

“Okay,” Yubin says, his voice sounding rather doubtful, “I believe you won’t do anything stupid.” 

Xiao Zhan wants to laugh now. Well, he already agreed to ‘fake date’ Wang Yibo, if that’s not one of the most stupid things he’s ever done in his life, he doesn’t know what is. But the artist knows himself, he knows how greedy he is when it comes to Yibo and if this is the chance he gets to be with Yibo... then be it. Even if it means he will end up broken by the end of the scheme. 

With an eye roll, Xiao Zhan lightly pushes him and says, “I won’t.” 

Zhuocheng smiles and Xuan Lu still looks unconvinced but the radiant smile Xiao Zhan throws at her is enough to make her forget… for now. 

“But Yibo’s been dating some other person lately, right?” Zhuocheng says as they start walking along the hallway together. Xiao Zhan tries to keep his expression neutral and peaceful - like said ‘person’ isn’t actually supposed to be him. 

“You heard him fucking with someone a while ago, right?” Yubin wiggles his eyebrows as he asks, a smirk also present in his face. Xiao Zhan scoffs, technically yes, if being loud while masturbating counts. “Yes… Can you not remind me of that?” 

Xuan Lu laughs at the face Xiao Zhan makes. 

“Okay, that’s enough. Can we not talk about someone elses’ sex life?” She says, like the absolute guardian angel she is. Xiao Zhan turns to face her and dramatically says, “Thank you!”

“However…” She says, face looking slightly smug, “I’m more curious about how he became your model.” Zhuocheng and Yubin nod, looking eager to hear his answer. 

Well, fuck.

He and Yibo haven’t planned this out yet. 

“You know how stressed I was about this project. I even tried doing a _still life,”_ He says seriously, “And nothing worked out! So when I caught Yibo outside our- uh, building, I went up to him and asked him. I was desperate. If I wasn’t desperate I wouldn’t have asked him, you know? He refused at first.” 

They don’t seem to notice that the second half of his sentence is a life, in fact, they look slightly amused. “I don’t even know how you got him to accept in the first place,” Zhuocheng adds. 

“I used Jianguo’s cuteness as a bribe.” 

They all end up laughing at that. “Even the almighty _Ice Prince_ can’t refuse the power of Jianguo,” Xuan Lu giggles as she says. 

Xiao Zhan feels awfully relieved, thanking the universe for making them believe in him.

  
  
  
  
  


By the time Xiao Zhan is back at home, his thoughts are going at a rapid pace. He doesn’t know what triggered it, maybe it was Zhuocheng’s comment, he isn’t sure - but for the whole day, his mind had been repeating and replaying memories he tried so hard to forget about. 

He could barely focus on anything his professors had said, during lunch with his friend group he was awfully quiet and when spotted a certain blue haired boy - he could barely take his eyes off him. He attempted to distract himself by drawing a bit but when he opened his sketchbook, all he saw was Yibo. During the second half of the day, nothing changed, every word, every sentence people have said or spoke reminded Xiao Zhan of the past. 

Xiao Zhan drops his things randomly on the floor and sits on the couch. He notices Jianguo coming towards him, he quickly grabs her and cuddles her. While petting her softly, he sighs. 

Maybe it was really stupid to do this whole thing with Yibo. He doesn’t know why it took so long, but his decision is finally sinking in. He knows that the two of them together is a disaster waiting to happen. This isn't going to end prettily. Xiao Zhan is almost certain that this is history repeating itself.

What happened with Yibo was a series of events that spiralled rapidly and, in result, ended with an atrocious crash. 

But for them to have had such a tragic end, they also needed to have a beginning.

They started like this; 

Xiao Zhan had broken up with his boyfriend at the time and was very tired of moping around all day long. To cheer him up, Lulu’s girlfriend suggested throwing a party for him, she even offered her own house to throw said party. Surprisingly, he didn’t reject the offer, in fact, he even said they could invite whoever they wanted. 

He needed something to take his mind off of things and the party, well, worked. He was around his friends, drinking and having a good time. It was good. Temporarily made him forget about his recently broken heart. 

Xiao Zhan then spotted a very pretty stranger, if he wasn’t mistaken he was one of Haikuan’s friends. 

He remembers Yibo standing against a wall, drink in his hand as he watched people pass by him, he seemed to observe the people making out on couches, the makeshift ‘dance floor’, against a window, any place they could find. A smile tugged on the corners of his lips, amused at seeing how much they enjoyed themselves.

Xiao Zhan was intrigued and felt a pull towards him almost immediately. 

“If your smile was just a bit bigger, I’d say you’re enjoying yourself,” Xiao Zhan remembers saying to him. When he gained the attention of the smaller guy, he felt a fire burning through him and his veins. He justified it on the alcohol at the time. 

“Ah, if it isn’t the man of the hour,” The boy tilted his head, and let his finger play over the rim of his plastic cup. “Xiao Zhan, right?”

Xiao Zhan opened his mouth to speak but he cut him off, “Haikuan-ge told me. I’m Yibo, Wang Yibo.”

Nodding, Xiao Zhan tried a different approach, he went for “I was just wondering why you’ve been standing here on your own for the last hour when you could have been dancing,” which wasn’t the best pick up line, now that he thinks about it. Xiao Zhan remembers to have taken another step closer too, “Or be having fun, at least.”

He can still recall how he smiled at that. It was just a smile but it made Xiao Zhan feel things, maybe he should’ve known by then that he was playing with fire. It was gorgeous, he was gorgeous, he couldn’t help but to keep going. 

Yibo then said, “Didn’t know you’ve been watching me for an hour.” Xiao Zhan laughed at that, how could he not? “I’ve been watching you since the moment you stepped inside the apartment actually,”

Tilting his head slowly, Yibo had a mischievous glint on his eyes and smile on his lips when he replied, “Shouldn’t you be mourning your lost relationship instead of watching me?” 

“I can’t help it. You’re too fucking gorgeous,” Xiao Zhan remembers saying, honestly, “I think the earrings suit you.” He then flicked one of them lightly.

“Oh. Well, thank you. You’re not too bad yourself,” Instead of flinching away, or flushing red, Yibo looked awfully pleased, and then teased him back, “But...That’s what caught your attention? I’m sad. Does that mean that you don't like my lip gloss, _gege?”_ He then pointed to his lips. 

Xiao Zhan was a goner by then. 

He doesn’t remember how things went exactly afterwards, but he knows about offering Yibo another drink. Yibo told him, “Lead the way,” and boldly grabbed his hand afterwards. 

Then he recalls how they spoke for hours, time went by in a blur, both oblivious to the people around them. The chemistry was very evident between them, Xiao Zhan knew from very early that if he wanted to have something serious with Yibo, he could, something could blossom between them. But he didn’t want that. He just got out of a relationship after all.

However, one thing led to another and they ended up in the guest room all alone. It didn’t take long for Xiao Zhan to have Yibo writhing in pleasure beneath him. 

It had been a while since Xiao Zhan had sex with another person other than his ex. He doesn’t know if should keep going. But Yibo felt so good against his lips, and he was so, so, so pretty too. He couldn’t help but to keep going, he wanted to see his fucked out face and see him with tears in his eyes from bliss. 

Also, Yibo…. he was _wild._

When Xiao Zhan slid home, both of them gasped. Even though Yibo was underneath him, with his legs wrapped around his waist, he still had the audacity to start moving his hips in a circular motion around Xiao Zhans dick. 

Yibo kept going. And his pace wasn’t slow either. Xiao Zhan thought of how caught off guard he was at that, how he threw his head back in pleasure, which only seemed to gratify Yibo and motivate him to keep going. “You’re insane,” Xiao Zhan said in a breathy voice. 

“You like that?” Yibo asked, voice sounding awfully sultry, while looking up at him, “I’m guessing your ex never did this.” 

Xiao Zhan should’ve been offended, he wasn’t. 

He just somehow pulled Yibo higher into his lap, his grip tightened around Yibo which enabled him to move his hips. The younger one whined in protest and tried to move again, Xiao Zhan’s hands stopped him from doing so. 

“Fucking brat,” Xiao Zhan said before thrusting hard and deep into him. “I’m guessing nobody never taught you basic manners,”

Xiao Zhan realised, in that moment, that it’s easy to take Wang Yibo apart. You just have to fuck him really good. “I-I’m sorry Xiao-laoshi, I’m just a freshman after all…” Yibo said between shaky breaths. 

“Yeah?” Xiao Zhan scoffed as he asked. Yibo has always been such a menace. 

He starts shoving his cock more aggressively, hard and fast. Which makes Yibo’s voice go about ten times higher than normal. With tears forming in his eyes, Yibo whimpered and just took it like a good boy.

Soon after the first round ended, a second one started. And a third one. All of which consisted of Yibo crying and sobbing at the top of lungs while getting fucked. 

It was supposed to end that day. 

It was supposed to only be a one night thing. 

Turns out, destiny had other plans, because soon after that night, they saw each other again, again and again. All those unplanned meetings having a similar ending, with a limping and bruised Yibo and a worn out yet smug Xiao Zhan. 

A friendship between them bloomed as they started seeing each other again. It was good while it lasted. 

However, good things don’t last forever. 

Xiao Zhan sighs at the memory. He looks around and realises that one, he must’ve been lost in his memory and thoughts for too long because it’s gotten darker outside and two, Jianguo was not on his lap anymore. 

Standing up, he tries to clear up his thoughts until he is reminded of Wang Yibo again when he enters his bedroom and sees the composition and color canvas he did of him. He groans and turns the canvas around, now facing the wall and not Xiao Zhan. 

He could be doing so much more productive things right now, but instead he is laying in bed, reminiscing about his past with- before he can think more he is distracted by the ringing of his phone. 

When he grabs the phone he is surprised when he sees _who_ is calling him. 

Yibo?

Why is he calling him right now?

Picking up the phone, “Hello?” Xiao Zhan tries to sound natural. Like he hasn’t been thinking about him during the entire day. 

_“Hi, are you busy?”_ Yibo asks, but his voice sounds strained. “No, not really. Is everything okay?” Next thing he hears is a groan, _“Zhan-ge… it hurts…I don’t know what to do,”_

Xiao Zhans heart starts beating faster at that. He gulps and asks, “What’s wrong?” 

_“I fell… fuck, it hurts. I can’t get up.”_

“What?” His breath quickens, “Where? Where are you?” Xiao Zhan says in a hurry, he is already picking up his keys. He feels like he gets kicked in the gut when he hears Yibo wince in pain. 

While putting his shoes on, he listens to Yibo shuffling around and whining in pain. “Tell me where you are. I’ll be there, I’ll come get you. Just… calm down and breathe.” 

_“I’m behind our building.”_ He says, slowly. 

Xiao Zhan waits for the elevator. “Fine, I’ll be there. Just hang on for a bit longer, okay?”

_“Don’t hang up,”_ He sobs.

Every sound of pain he makes goes straight into Xiao Zhans heart strings, pulling them. His chest aching at the thought of Yibo’s state right now. “I’m not, don’t worry,” Xiao Zhan reassures him while entering the elevator. 

“I’m almost there,” He says. 

The only thing that he can heard right now in the phone call is Yibo’s low complains and groans and Xiao Zhan’s shaky breath, wanting to get to Yibo as fast as possible. 

“I’m coming.” Xiao Zhan says as the doors of the elevator open. _“Hurry,”_ The younger says while he hiccups. 

Is it that bad? Why hasn’t he called for medical help instead? He pushed those thoughts aside as soon as he heard his voice. He doesn’t lightly jog, he straight up runs out of the building. Soon after he’s out and he takes the detour to the back of it where he knows Yibo usually skates at. 

“I’m-” Xiao Zhan is about to say that he’s arrived but when he looks around and spots Yibo sitting on the ground with his hand applying pressure on his knee he hangs up and runs to him immediately. 

“Zhan-ge,” Yibo says when he looks up. “Fuck, you’re bleeding a lot.” Xiao Zhan cuts him off as he crouches, grabbing Yibo’s arm and wrapping it around his neck. 

Yibo feels the blood slowly traveling down the rest of his leg now that he is finally standing up and he cringes in discomfort. 

“My skateboard…” Yibo says quietly. Xiao Zhan is close to him so he hears it. With a sigh, Xiao Zhan gently lets Yibo go, helping him sit back on the round. 

He walks to the skateboard and picks it up. He gathers Yibo’s black bag too. 

When Xiao Zhan comes near the blue haired boy again, this time around, Yibo is the one who goes for Xiao Zhan and wraps an arm around him. When he stands up again he flinches in pain. 

“You good to go?” Xiao Zhan asks. After a brief moment, Yibo nods. Both of them walk together in silence. 

They ignore the looks they get from strangers on the street.

“I’m so glad there are no stairs,” Xiao Zhan says under his breath when they enter their building. The younger tried to humm in agreement, it came out a bit too choked. 

When they try to enter the elevator, Yibo doesn’t know how but he ends up bumping his knee against the automatic door while Xiao Zhan tries to fit them and his skateboard inside. He groans in pain almost instantly.

“Shit, shit. Are you okay?” 

Yibo closes his eyes, tries to ignore the painful sting that spreads around his knee. He holds onto Xiao Zhan tighter and nods. 

When they arrive on their floor, Xiao Zhan is helping him get off more gently, while still holding his things. 

“Where are your keys?” 

Yibo doesn’t respond, he just clings onto him tighter when he feels another sting. “Yibo?” He asks and finally looks at him. 

All this time Xiao Zhan was in such a rush to get Yibo back inside that he didn’t even see how Yibo was doing. Now he sees how Yibo has tears in his eyes, how his face is all red and his eyebrows are scrunched. 

“Sweetheart, you need to tell me where your keys are. I can’t help you if you don’t,” Xiao Zhan says softly.

They’re standing so close now, closer than they’ve ever been in the past few years, and this time it’s not for pretend either, Xiao Zhan can feel the youngers’ shaky breath, that’s how near they are to one another. 

Yibo doesn’t even blink at the nickname, nor does he comment on it. 

He simply reaches for his pocket and hands Xiao Zhan the keys. 

When they enter Yibo’s apartment, the older immediately drops the skateboard and the bag in disregard. 

He holds Yibo’s waist while Yibo clings onto his shoulder, slightly hopping, trying not to hurt his knee again. Xiao Zhan helps him get to his bedroom. “Here, sit on the bed.” He tells the younger while helping him do so and then he asks, “Where’s your first aid kit?” 

Whining a bit at the new position of his knee, Yibo looks up and says, “Bathroom,”

Nodding, “Stay here.” 

Yibo can hear a bunch of noise from the bathroom. He then comes back and drops the first aid kit next to Yibo and leaves again. Soon he hears the water running. He doesn’t come back for a minute or two. Yibo is still obediently sitting on the bed when Xiao Zhan arrives with a big bowl of water and a bunch of cloths.

Xiao Zhan gets on one knee after he puts the things he needs to clean the wound next to him. He then lifts his gaze at Yibo, “Can I.. do it? Or do you-” he asks. Yibo blinks and nods, “Uh, yeah.” 

“Okay,” He says as he grabs a cloth and wets it with water. Afterwards he gently starts cleaning up his leg that had spots of blood that ran down it. He dips a new cloth into the water again and looks up, “This is going to sting a bit,” 

“Tell me if you need me to stop, okay?” 

Biting his lip, Yibo wordlessly nods. Soon after, Xiao Zhan drops the cloth on top of the cut and looks up at Yibo and applies some pressure. A huge gasp leaves Yibo’s mouth the moment he feels the force and the pain from his knee that comes along with it, “Zhan-ge..” 

“I know…” He sighs, “Just hold it in for a bit.” 

Yibo closes his eyes. 

After a few minutes of torture, Xiao Zhan stops and takes the cloth off and inspects the cut again. “I think the bleeding stopped. Can you feel anything?” 

Yibo shakes his head. 

Xiao Zhan nods and wets another cloth. He starts to rinse the cut off. Yibo is wincing but he stays put and doesn’t move around too much. When he’s done he grabs what seems like ointment and starts reading the label very carefully. 

Yibo is looking at him reading the instruction super cautiously which develops an amused smirk on his lip as he continues to observe the older man. 

After Xiao Zhan is done reading, he starts to open it. But he notices the way Yibo is staring and asks, “What?” 

Tilting his head, Yibo shrugs and smiles, “Nothing.” 

“If you say so,” Xiao Zhan says as he applies a layer of it on his knee. Yibo cringes at the coldness and at the pain it causes him. 

“I’m not going to put a band-aid or wrap it. It will be awkward for you to walk,” Xiao Zhan says, “So I think I’m done.” 

Yibo nods. He catches Xiao Zhans gaze and says, “Uh, thanks.” softly. The older smiles and nods. After Xiao Zhan is done. He starts to gather the dirty cloths and everything. 

When he is done cleaning up, he comes to Yibo’s bedroom at last. 

“So I should-” He starts and Yibo cuts him off.

“Stay,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the month of feb was full of assignments for me, i'm sorry for updating so late! but anyways... i tried to make it up by revealing some of their history. tell me what you think!
> 
> i always enjoy reading what u guys have to say so comment and share your thoughts lmao


End file.
